The scene of a diesel fuel spill from a 35 ft inboard boat on Thursday. Photo via WINK News.

Writer:

Michael Mora

Published: November 1, 2018 1:19 PM EST

Updated: November 1, 2018 3:13 PM EST

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NORTH FORT MYERS

Boat sinks, spills diesel fuel in North Fort Myers canal

Published: November 1, 2018 1:19 PM EST

Updated: November 1, 2018 3:13 PM EST

A 35 ft inboard boat that took on water began spilling diesel fuel into a North Fort Myers canal Thursday morning.

The North Fort Myers Fire Dept. and the City of Fort Myers Hazmat and Marina team were on scene to contain the spill around 7:30 a.m. The incident happened behind a home on East North Shore Ave., where they found the sunken boat in the canal. The canal has direct access to the Caloosahatchee River.

Teams used booms to contain the spill. A boom is a temporary floating barrier with material usually 14 inches to 48 inches underneath the surface that collects the oil, which can make the cleanup process more effective.

The main objective of the cleanup is to prevent the fuel from reaching the Caloosahatchee River. In the meantime, all waterway traffic in the canal has been stopped.